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New Documentary Details Grosjean’s Bahrain GP Crash

By Joshua Kerr

TOPSHOT - Stewards and medics attend to Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean after a crash at the start of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir on November 29, 2020. (Photo by HAMAD I MOHAMMED / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HAMAD I MOHAMMED/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Stewards and medics attend to Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean after a crash at the start of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir on November 29, 2020. (Photo by HAMAD I MOHAMMED / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HAMAD I MOHAMMED/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Last November’s Bahrain Grand Prix is not one that those who watched it live will forget in a hurry.

As the field raced up towards turn four on the opening lap of the race, a fireball erupted in the background.

Contact between Daniil Kvyat and Romain Grosjean saw Grosjean crash into the barrier at 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph).

It was a chilling moment, which thankfully was fairly brief, with Grosjean able to get out of his stricken Haas in less than half a minute.

The Frenchman was left with burns to his hands, which have now healed, and lives to tell the tale.

Safe in the knowledge that Grosjean has recovered well from the crash, his accident is one of intrigue, with a new documentary from French broadcaster, Canal+ Sport, shedding more light on what was widely described as a ‘miracle’ escape.

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Grosjean’s ability to walk away from the crash just with burns to his hands, received when grabbing the halo whilst getting out of the car, can be put down to the safety advancements that have been made.

The halo did what it was designed to do, to take the brunt of the impact with the barrier, rather than Grosjean’s helmet.

And any fears that a driver would not be able to get out of a car that had a halo attached were dispelled by Grosjean being able to extricate himself quickly despite flames engulfing his car.

The fireball was caused when the car split in half, rupturing the fuel tank in the process, something which the official investigation into the crash is looking into, although what is known as the survival cell, which can be best described as like the cockpit, did its job well, helping to keep Grosjean safe.

While nobody wants to see a crash of this magnitude, the crash nonetheless provides as good an example as any that the implementation of the halo was worthwhile, and that safety in motorsport is currently the best it ever has been.

Almost three months on, the reconstructions of Grosjean’s crash in the Canal+ documentary show just how remarkable it was, and how remarkable it still is today.

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